HBO Fight Preview

Luis Ortiz vs. Tony Thompson

This Saturday on HBO the man who may be the most talented heavyweight in boxing, Luis Ortiz, will be back in action.  Ortiz returns after en eye opening performance against Bryant Jennings in December of 2015.  Now Ortiz who failed to secure a fight with a top opponent will take on veteran Tony Thompson.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds, although no titles will be on the line.  Another win for Ortiz on HBO could force some of the better fighters in the division to step in the ring against him.

Ortiz's talent level really showed against Jennings

Offensively Ortiz, a southpaw fighter who hails from Cuba, seems to have it all.  Not only does he carry devastating power but he also throws sharp combinations.  Ortiz works intelligently behind his jab and he will often double that punch up.  Along with the jab Ortiz also has a stiff straight left hand and he does a tremendous job of sticking that punch to the body.  Occasionally Ortiz will throw a right hook but that may be the least effective punch in his arsenal.  "The Real King Kong" as Ortiz goes by also has a heavy looping left hand but his best punches are his uppercuts and he can rip them equally well with both hands.  The only real question about Ortiz is how he will handle going late in fights since he has never been passed eight round as a pro.

Before stopping Jennings in the seventh round of his HBO debut last year Ortiz's biggest previous win came against the 20-0 at the time Lateef Kayode.  He knocked Kayode out in the first round but that fight was overturned after Ortiz failed a drug test.  Throughout his career though Ortiz has shown exceptional power and the only three have his fights have ended without him scoring a knockout.  One of those fights was the third bout of his professional career which he won by unanimous decision and the other two fights he won when his opponents was disqualified.  As a pro Ortiz has gone 24-0 with 21 knockouts but at 36 years old he needs to get in the ring with other elite fighters before his fighting days are done.

Thompson is always ultra confident

Saturday will be a battle of southpaws because Thompson also fights out of that stance.  At 6-feet, 5-inches tall Thompson usually enjoys a height advantage but that won't be the case against the 6-feet, 4-inch Ortiz.  Thompson has a long jab but usually leaves his lead hand low which could be dangerous against a puncher like Ortiz.  With his long jab Thompson also has a solid straight left hand, although none of his punches come in very quickly.  The best punch Thompson has is probably his right hook which is his knockout punch but he does have a ton of power and probably won't be able to hurt Ortiz.

Where Thompson does have an advantage over Ortiz, at least as a pro, is experience.  While Ortiz's best opponent has been Jennings, Thompson has fought some of the best in the division.  Thompson first got a taste of elite fighters in 2008 when he took on Wladimir Klitschko and got knocked out in 11th round.  Thompson would again face Klitschko in 2011 only to be stopped in the sixth round.  Since then the biggest wins for Thompson were two knockouts of highly touted prospect David Price who Thompson really exposed.  For his career Thompson has put together a record of 40-6 with 27 knockouts but he is coming off a loss to Malik Scott.

This fight should be all Ortiz but Thompson deserves some credit for having the confidence to even enter the ring against him.  The problems for Thompson are that he doesn't have the top end power to stop Ortiz and he usually comes in looking soft around the belly and Ortiz is a good body puncher and should be able to take a lot out of him.  Also, Thompson keeps his lead hand low so even though Ortiz isn't phenomenal with his right hook that could be a good tool against Thompson.  For Thompson's part he will have to do his best to keep Ortiz on the outside with his long jab and hope he can take this fight to the championship rounds, a place Ortiz has never been before.

PREDICTION: The only man to knockout Tony Thompson has been Wladimir Klitschko but on Saturday night Luis Ortiz will add his name to that list.  Once Thompson gets a real taste of Ortiz's power the fight probably won't last much longer and Ortiz will get the win by the way of third round knockout.

Sadam Ali vs. Jessie Vargas

The co-feature on Saturday's card will pit two young American fighters with only one loss between them against each other.  The undefeated Sadam Ali will look to keep his perfect record intact against Jessie Vargas.  The two pugilists are scheduled to go 12 rounds for the vacant WBO welterweight title and the winner of this fight should go on to face some big name opponents.

Ali had a coming out party against Abregu

Ali is a 27-year-old who fights out of the orthodox stance.  Ali moves pretty well in the ring and has quick hands which allow him to have a good jab and straight right hand.  While Ali also has a nice left hook it is his right hand he looks to end fights with.  Even though Ali isn't the heaviest handed fighter he is dangerous especially because he can hurt opponents while backing up.  Another thing the young Ali does very well is counter punch and he could be on the cusp of some big fights.

Like most prospects on the way up Ali fought mostly sub par fighters before moving on to facing veteran journeymen.  Ali started his professional career in 2009 but it wasn't until 2014 that he really had his coming out party.  That year Ali took on his toughest opponent to date, Luis Carlos Abregu, and dominated him.  Ali was faster and stronger and dropped Abregu twice before the fight was stopped in the ninth round.  Unfortunately since that big win Ali has only fought once, against Francisco Santana, who isn't exactly a name fighter.  As a pro Ali has been perfect with a record of 22-0 with 13 knockouts and a win over Vargas could help shine some light on his talent.

Vargas thought he would have stopped Bradley

Vargas is a year younger than Ali at only 26 years old and he too is an orthodox fighter.  One thing Vargas lacks though is any real power.  Vargas has a solid jab and his left hook is good despite not having much on it.  The problem for Vargas is that he isn't a very busy puncher and he doesn't hit hard.  His best punch is probably his counter overhand right which is the punch he badly hurt Timothy Bradley with.

The biggest fight of Vargas' career was also probably his biggest disappointment.  In June of 2015 Vargas took on Bradley and was losing the fight when about 20 seconds left to go int he fight Vargas hurt Bradley with an overhand right.  As Bradley tried to avoid further punishment and Vargas went in for the kill referee Pat Russell stopped the fight when he mistook the 10-second clap for the final bell, robbing Vargas of his shot at a knockout win.  Vargas has been in the ring with other notable fighters though like Antonio DeMarco, Khabib Allakhverdiev, Wale Omotoso, and Josesito Lopez.  However, even when Vargas wins the scores are usually very close which was the case against Lopez, Omotoso, and DeMarco.  For his career Vargas has put together a record of 26-1 but he only has nine knockouts to his name.

This fight is exciting merely for the fact that it pits two high level, young fighters against each other.  The loser won't take a huge step back but the loss would certainly put a dent in their career while the winner should go on to some big fights.  This could be a tough one for Vargas because Ali seems to do everything that he does just at a higher level plus he carries more pop on his punches.  If Vargas still wants another shot at Bradley he will need to beat Ali, but that won't be an easy task.  

PREDICTION: Jessie Vargas has made a career of late by winning close fights but a fighter can only get away with that for so long.  Vargas lacks the power to hurt Ali and Ali has the better footwork and hand speed.  Sadam Ali may not blow out of the water, since not even Timothy Bradley did that, but like Bradley, Ali will win convincingly by the way of unanimous decision.